It has been quite the turnaround for Crystal Palace this season, but their place in the Premier League is now confirmed for next season.

Survival looked a long way off when the Eagles lost their first seven games of the season, without scoring a goal, but Roy Hodgson has guided Palace to safety by taking 41 points in the 30 games since then.

So how has he done it? We take a look back here at six games that have proved pivotal to the Eagles’ turnaround.

October 14, 2017 – Crystal Palace 2-1 Chelsea

Palace were given little hope of getting a result when the champions came to town, with the Eagles rooted to the foot of the table with no points and no goals from seven games.

Jokes were even made about it being a case of 007 – in reference to the points, goals and games played – and whether Palace were shaken or stirred.

But even before kick off, there was a huge lift for Palace fans as Wilfried Zaha returned to the side following injury, while the inclusion of fans’ favourite Julian Speroni also added to the feel good factor inside Selhurst Park.

Wilf Zaha goal Crystal Palace vs Chelsea

And that transcended to the pitch, as Zaha helped to inspire Palace to victory on his return to the side, scoring the second goal as the Eagles stunned the champions.

It was lift-off for Palace’s season, and helped to give the fans some hope that that Eagles were not doomed, as many pundits had already suggested.

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Despite that morale-boosting win against Chelsea in October, Palace failed to really build on it, with just two points in their next four games.

As a result, Palace were still bottom of the league with five points from 12 games going into the game with Stoke City.

And things looked bleak when Xherdan Shaqiri strode forward from midfield and fired in an arrowing drive to put the Potters in front.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek celebrates scoring his side's first goal with Wilfried Zaha during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Stoke City at Selhurst Park on November 25, 2017. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

But Palace were level just two minutes later as Ruben Loftus-Cheek netted his first goal for the Eagles.

And Mamadou Sakho became the second player to score his first goal for the club as he netted an injury time winner to send the Selhurst Park crowd wild.

It felt like a turning point for the Eagles and would prove to be a vital three points for Roy Hodgson’s men, against a relegation rival.

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Not for the first time, Palace found themselves having to come from behind after conceding an early goal, with Daryl Janmaat on target for the Hornets in the third minute.

Palace were lacklustre and second best for much of the game, and were perhaps fortunate to only be one goal behind.

The Eagles’ five-game unbeaten run looked to be coming to an end as the Hornets maintained their one-goal advantage until the closing stages, but a red card for Tom Cleverley swung momentum in Palace’s favour.

James McArthur celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Watford at Selhurst Park on December 12, 2017. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

And the Eagles completed a dramatic late turnaround, with goals from Bakary Sako and James McArthur helping to lift the Eagles out of the relegation zone for the first time in the campaign.

They did drop back into the relegation zone the following night, but came out of the bottom three again three days later, courtesy of a superb 3-0 win away at Leicester City, which extended the unbeaten run to seven games.

January 2, 2018 – Southampton 1-2 Crystal Palace

Going into this game, Palace could easily have bemoaned a congested fixture schedule, having faced Arsenal and Manchester City at home within the space of three days, before then only having one day’s rest prior to this fixture.

And the effects of the schedule, combined with a heavy pitch at St Mary’s, looked to be taking its toll on the Eagles in a poor first half display.

They trailed 1-0 at half time and probably should have been further behind, but Palace came out rejuvenated in a strong display in the second half.

Luka Milivojevic celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the Premier League match between Southampton and Crystal Palace at St Mary's Stadium on January 2, 2018. (Photo by Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images)

Not only did James McArthur score an equaliser from close range, but Luka Milivojevic went on to score the winner, putting his own disappointment from missing an injury time penalty against Manchester City behind him as Palace moved up to 14th in the table.

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Going into this game, Palace found themselves back in the relegation zone after a seven-game winless run.

Admittedly, that had included narrow defeats against Tottenham, Manchester United and Chelsea, but the four games in succession that Palace had lost had coincided with the absence of Wilfried Zaha.

But the Eagles’ talisman returned to the side here at Huddersfield as Palace put in a professional display to claim a 2-0 win and move back out of the relegation zone.

James Tomkins celebrates scoring his side's first goal during the Premier League match between Huddersfield Town and Crystal Palace at John Smith's Stadium on March 17, 2018. (Photo by Tony Marshall/Getty Images)

James Tomkins opened the scoring, before Luka Milivojevic converted from the penalty spot in the second half to seal the three points.

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Crystal Palace all but confirmed their place in the Premier League with this emphatic victory at Selhurst Park, in a game that was reminiscent of the 4-0 win against Hull City that confirmed survival last season for the Eagles.

Jamie Vardy had an opportunity for Leicester to take the lead, but Joel Ward produced a superb goalline clearance to deny him.

And from the moment that Wilfried Zaha gave Palace the lead, the Eagles never looked back, with James McArthur, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Patrick van Aanholt and Christian Benteke on target in the rout.

Crystal Palace's James McArthur (left) and Leicester City's Ben Chillwell battle for the ball during the Premier League match at Selhurst Park. Photo: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire.

Palace were not mathematically safe with this win, but moved up to 11th in the table and to the cusp of safety, which was then assured with victory at Stoke on the weekend, meaning there will now be a sixth successive season of Premier League football at Selhurst Park.

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